In 2006, we asked readers tell how their lives were changed by Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Here, in their own words, are some of their stories.

Below:

I am of East Indian descent, from Trinidad and Tobago (fourth generation). At the time of 9/11 I lived in New Jersey and commuted to NYC to work on First Avenue and Houston.

After 9/11 I was very nervous about going into the City, as nervous as everyone else. I was particularly affected by the fear of leaving my home that enveloped me on a daily basis. You see, although I come from a country in the Caribbean, Americans thought I was Iraqi, Pakistani, you name it.

NO ONE would sit next to me on the commuter bus to and from the City. My seat was often empty, despite the bus being completely full. People in New Jersey would stare at me at the supermarket, on the bus, in the stores. One clerk at the supermarket acted like I was invisible while waiting for service.

I would for about 2 years after 9/11 stay indoors as much as I could, as people's hatred and fear was often bestowed upon me for not being American.

I have now been living in the US for 16 years, and am an American citizen, now raising my family in Florida. One lesson that America has taught me is racism.

It is a school that is never out — a constant, day in and out, and a continuous never-ending struggle. I know what it is like to go for a job and not be considered, to have people look the other way when passing in the hallway of your office, to say hello and hear silence in return, to have the seat next to yours vacant on the bus.